Will Stein, Kentucky start 2027 football recruiting cycle with local commitment
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Stein's staff opens 2027 cycle with in-state OL Brady Hull commitment to Kentucky.
- Stein prioritizes Kentucky talent after December hires and quick campus visits.
- Competition with Louisville and national powers will intensify for top Kentucky juniors.
The first high school class of 2027 recruit to commit to new Kentucky football coach Will Stein is an in-state star.
That distinction is not by accident.
“The best way that we’re going to move forward is really starting inside the state of Kentucky,” Stein said at a recent news conference. “It has to. I mean, in this next class, there is a lot of really good talent in the state right now. A lot. And when I see Kentucky at its best, it is home-grown talent. That’s where you have got to start.”
Three-star Pulaski County offensive lineman Brady Hull committed to Kentucky on Thursday over reported scholarship offers from South Carolina, Louisville, Purdue, Virginia and others. Stein and new offensive line coach Cutter Leftwich quickly prioritized Hull after being hired in December, hosting him on campus and making visits to see him in Somerset.
While UK still technically holds a commitment from class of 2027 quarterback DJ Hunter, who picked UK while Mark Stoops was still coach, Hull’s commitment represents the start of the 2027 recruiting cycle for Stein and company.
The best version of the class almost certainly includes several other local high school stars following Hull to UK in what appears to be a banner year for high-level football talent in the state.
Hull is the ninth-ranked prospect among current Kentucky high school juniors, according to the 247Sports Composite, which classifies seven juniors in the state as four-star prospects. Close to 15 players in the state’s 2027 class could end up signing with power-conference programs.
Kentucky did not sign any scholarship recruits in the state in the 2026 cycle.
Boyle County star Seneca Driver, whom Rivals ranks as the No. 1 tight end in the country in the class of 2027, leads the crop of current Kentucky high school juniors. Driver has scholarship offers from traditional powers across the country, but Rivals recruiting analyst Steve Wiltfong logged a prediction Wednesday for Stein and Kentucky to eventually land his commitment.
Louisville has already landed a commitment from four-star Trinity cornerback Allen Evans in the 2027 class. Christian Academy of Louisville teammates Ja’Hyde Brown and Garyon Hobbs have already committed to Indiana.
Competition for the rest of the top recruits in the staff will be intense.
The higher profile of those players will bring recruiters from traditional powers to the state. Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has deep ties to the city and hired former Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, who spearheaded much of the in-state recruiting efforts under Mark Stoops, as his executive director of football personnel and recruiting, last year.
Brohm and Stein both graduated from Trinity and played at Louisville. Stein has hired three former Louisville players to his first UK staff as well as former Louisville recruiting staffer Pete Nochta as his assistant general manager.
Marrow and Nochta have already sparred on Twitter as the battles for in-state prospects heat up between the two rival programs.
Those battles will only grow more intense because of the level of talent available in the 2027 cycle. Landing Hull gives Kentucky and Stein an early win in a process that will last at least until December.
“We will go wherever,” Stein said. “I mean, if there is a kid in Alaska that wants to play at Kentucky, that’s good enough, we will go there. It doesn’t matter. In the new state of college football and recruiting, it is really about building relationships and making sure that we are consistent in our approach with those players and just bringing the best guys that fit our program.”